Officials ID man run over on I-4

TAMPA - Authorities have identified a man who was run over by five vehicles and died while trying to cross Interstate 4 on foot Tuesday night.

Ramon L. Roig, 49, died after five vehicles struck him just west of the Interstate 75 junction about 8:45 p.m., the Florida Highway Patrol said Thursday. Only one driver stopped - Alexander Rascionato, 33, of Tampa.

In an interview Thursday, Rascionato said two people who were at the scene of the accident tending to a broken-down truck told him that Roig had spoken to them moments before he was hit, saying he needed a ride to Brandon. They declined.

Roig turned to cross I-4 and was struck while crossing the center westbound lane. Then he was clipped by Rascionato's side mirror, and was struck again.

Highway Patrol officials believe five vehicles in all hit Roig, and four drove on. Investigators are still searching for the other four drivers. Some, they said, might not have realized they hit a body in the rainy, dark evening.

Roig had a history of trouble with the law in Florida dating back to 1989, including convictions for aggravated battery on a pregnant woman and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, Florida Department of Law Enforcement records show.